Outdoor dining is a commonplace form of social interaction in the United States which perhaps began as early as the first Thanksgiving dinner. This custom has continued until the present despite a number of nuisances which detract from the enjoyment. Whenever food is placed outdoors, there is always a risk of contamination by flying and crawling insects. Also, many outdoor dinners have been ruined by sudden bursts of rain or other forms of precipitation. These nuisances have always been tolerated in the past.
Portable food storage containers for carrying food are known in the art. These cases are generally insulated to maintain a constant temperature and sometimes include a heating or cooling element. Two such devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,805,018 and 3,915,304. Such devices are typically designed for individual servings and are not suitable for large family gatherings where a large number of prepared food items need to be protected from ambient conditions.